It Pays to Choose Scripture
From the Field April 5, 2014
It was a regularly recurring thing when dealing with government officials in Nigeria, whether postal, customs, immigration or whoever that one was asked for something extra. I devised an answer for this and used it. When once leaving Nigeria a rather large lady customs official sitting behind a table had searched my baggage to make sure I was not transporting out any archeological treasures and then asked “what do you have for me?” I pulled out a Christian tract and a ten Naira bill and laid them before her. I said was giving her a test, as I had surmised that she was a Christian and not a Muslim. “Which would you choose,” I asked her “the ten Naira bill or the Christian tract?” She looked at both and pointed to the tract. She obviously knew what the right answer should be. I said ‘good’ and left the tract and took the Naira. She was somewhat disappointed and pushed the tract toward me so as for me to take it. I said, “No, open up the tract,” which she reluctantly did. And then she burst out laughing. I had put one hundred Naira in the tract. As I left I said, “it pays to choose Scripture.” I could hear her laughing as I walked away as she told her fellow workers what had happened.